Public photobooths date back to at least 1888. In modern times, a majority of people now have a cell phone with a camera, making photograph capture readily accessible at all times so the proper place of the public photobooth is destined to be in the museum. Conventional photobooths today are inexpensive, and designed to be sturdy as against theft and vandalism, and frequented by many who cannot afford cell phones. It is not readily apparent, therefore, that there is any market for a much more expensive photobooth. However, there has not been a consumer oriented photobooth that can take pictures or provide special effects that cannot be captured on cell phones or commercially available cameras. In particular, until now, there has not been a fully automated photobooth experience available which may take a 360 degree panoramic photograph or sequence of photographs of a consumer.
Computer technology advancements have enabled improvements in photographic special effects technology in recent years. A particularly recent photography advancement designed for the movie industry is known as Big Freeze™ (www.bigfreeze.com) in which multiple specially selected cameras are electronically triggered to capture a photographic sequence that creates multiple views culminating in a 360 degree view of the subject at a single moment in time.
The Big Freeze™ system relies on the combination of several Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras placed on a desired path constructed of interconnected triangular truss sections. The camera optics are controlled by software and electronics connected to a computer that, when initiated by an operator, triggers a simultaneous shutter response in several cameras to provide the special effect of “freezing” the action along the multiple locations of the path. The cameras initially process the image and convey the processed digital image to a computer, where specialized software organizes the images. The result is the appearance of a person and/or action taken by a camera moving through three-dimensional space along the path at a “frozen” moment in time.
Set-up and operation of the Big Freeze™ system requires multiple trained personnel to design, assemble, manage, and operate the system. While use of interconnected DSLR cameras is well suited for the Big Freeze™ system, it has numerous drawbacks that prevent its application to the present invention.
For example, DSLR cameras utilize physical shutters in front of the sensor element of the camera, which eventually wear out after repeated actuations. Over the lifetime of the camera, the shutter will eventually slow down and stop, altering the quality of the special effect and requiring replacement of the shutter mechanism or of the entire camera body. Because DSLR cameras are expensive pieces of equipment, replacement of the shutter mechanism or entire camera body results in significant costs for the camera system operator.
The physical shutter of DSLR cameras also presents inherent limitations to shutter speed. For instance, an entry-level DSLR camera may have a shutter speed of 3 frames per second (“fps”), whereas even a professional grade DSLR camera has a shutter speed of roughly a 10 fps. Because of this, DSLR cameras are well suited for single shot and multi-shot photography, but not where a sequence of photographs is to be used to recreate a special effect in a fluid manner.
DSLR mechanics also present timing challenges due to the variance in every camera. This is a problem where highly accurate, simultaneous triggering of multiple cameras is required or where highly accurate, timed intervals of multiple cameras is required.
Also, DSLR cameras are comprised of a body portion as well as a lens portion, with the lens being interchangeable with the body. While this provides the user with flexibility as to the type of lens to be used with a given DSLR camera body, the use of commercially available camera bodies and lenses result in an overall camera of substantial size and weight. When multiple cameras are to be used in a setup such as the Big Freeze™ system, additional consideration must be given to the additional size and weight due to the plurality of cameras required.
Because of their high value, DSLR cameras are a target of theft. In the professional special effects environment of the Big Freeze™ application, the staff never leaves the equipment unattended in the presence of the general public. Further, due to the complexity of the Big Freeze™ system, it takes multiple highly trained personnel to both set up and operate the system in order to capture the 360 degree panoramic photographs of a subject. Various technicians and staff are required to focus and fine-tune the system each time operation is desired. Thus, the camera system that gave rise to the creation of the Big Freeze™ System is unequipped, and unaffordable for use in a publicly accessible and automated special-effects photobooth, and there remains a need for a multiple camera capture system that can be reliably, affordably, and safely used in an automated public photobooth environment.
The present invention provides for a photobooth kiosk which incorporates a consumer oriented 360 degree camera system to allow an automated 360 degree photobooth experience by the general public. No additional technical or support staff is required for the present invention beyond the initial set up process with all options being selectable by a customer of the 360 degree photobooth kiosk during use. The present invention thus provides a movie industry level special effects experience to the general public and allows for everyone to enjoy creating a 360 degree panoramic image or sequence of images without the need for a professional special effects environment such as that provided by the Big Freeze™ system.
The present invention provides a system capable of creating special effects that utilize a plurality of “machine vision” type industrial cameras on a fixed path in the form of a unique photobooth system. The industrial cameras may be CMOS or CCD sensor based cameras capable of high speed capture of a sequence of photographs, and may utilize an electronic shutter with no moving parts on the camera itself. The industrial camera may have an input/output interface for communication with a computer for storage and processing of capture photographs.
In certain embodiments of the invention, the communications interface may be USB™, Firewire™, or gigabit Ethernet in nature. Other digital communications interfaces are also contemplated within the scope of the present invention. The communications interface allows for the computer to control multiple industrial cameras at the same time, allowing for simultaneous triggering of multiple cameras, or triggering a sequence of timed interval photographs by multiple cameras. Combined with the significantly reduced shutter lag time provided by the electronic shutter as compared to a physical shutter in a DSLR camera, greater coordination and accuracy when triggering multiple cameras simultaneously may be achieved.
Through the use of electronic shutters, the industrial cameras are able to capture images at a greater frame rate than is possible by DSLR cameras, and because an electronic shutter has no moving part, such industrial cameras enjoy an extended usable lifespan over DSLR cameras. An added benefit of the use of industrial cameras is their widely available, robust set of software, which makes programming such cameras simpler and faster.
During use of the multiple camera system, the desired effect is selectable by an object customer who is untrained in the operations of the system. The system is specially designed for safe operation under continuous and unsupervised use by the public.